OFF ARMAGEDDON REEF is one of the more inventive SF reads I've come across and the start to a great series. Pretty heavy spiritual overtones, too. Weber is a lay minister in the United Methodist Church and he incorporates a lot of spiritual themes into his writings.

Without giving much away, this book takes the "ark" concept - humanity sending itself into the stars to reboot on a distant planet - and adds a unique twist. The savior of the world is a sentient AI. Jesus meet I-Robot. It's worth the read for that alone.

The encyclopedia of oddly-spelled names makes the book a bit daunting, but if you push past that you'll acclimate...eventually. And, if you’re a binge reader, there's many more in this series and the books are MASSIVE.